Here are some reasons why, I believe:
First, the CEOs at the front of the room tonight all live and work in Massachusetts and run state-based organizations, six of eight of them non-profits. This is not true in most other states where national for-profit hospital systems and health insurers rule the land.
Second, every one of the eight companies has stories to share about tackling rising costs and improving their care systems; every CEO mentioned how they are moving away from fee-for-service reimbursement fast, toward global payment and accountable care.
Third, the GBIO members in the audience care about costs and care about access, and they also care about health care quality and the institutions that provide the care. Many of these members are medical care professionals who work in the institutions of the CEOs at the front of the room. GBIO is a consumer group — though it’s a consumer group that recognizes the complexities and nuances of this issue. That realization would make some consumer groups run away, and it’s a credit to GBIO that they face the issue, complexities and all.
Fourth, Massachusetts is no longer fighting about what to do. That was settled settled in the summer of 2012 with the passage of Chapter 224 and the new limits in that law on health spending growth. The hardest work for the new Health Policy Commission is yet to come — when they have to enforce the actual limits beginning in 2015. At this point, everyone is pulling to help them succeed.
That’s what makes Massachusetts different. Our intelligent and compelling health care cost conversation continues. And because groups like GBIO are staying involved and attentive, the issue is far less likely to wither away. But it’s not just a conversation — it’s a conversation with consequences. And no other state right now is close to having this kind of conversation.
That’s worth noting and celebrating.